Kevin Durant returns from injury, Kevin Durant picks up where he left off with no signs of rust.
It’s a story so old you forget how remarkable it is that seemingly every time Durant steps back to the floor after an absence, he doesn’t look scruffy, out of breath or out of place.
Tuesday night’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers was the latest example of his basketball majesty as he continued his fresh start to the season and helped the Phoenix Suns get back into the win column after a five-game losing streak.
Durant’s 23 points were light and fluid, efficient and not disrupting the offensive flow. He could have scored 30 in the blink of an eye, but a 27-point win didn’t call for it.
When he plays, the Suns are 9-1 this year and look every bit the contender no one believed they would be this season. You can put Durant on any team in the league and they’re immediately better without having to adjust the scheme or game plan – his basketball talent allows him to fit into any system without having to be the system, without having to dominate the ball. or attention.
And if he stays healthy, the Suns could very well be the biggest party-busters in a crowded Western Conference this spring.
It’s early and securing availability isn’t a guarantee for any team in this NBA, especially the Suns, who have two stars in their mid-30s in Durant and Bradley Beal. But they looked dominant against a formidable Lakers team that had their number last year.
They put the Lakers up by 25 in the second half, and considering the Lakers have struggled to compete defensively against good competition (Orlando, Denver) in the last week, these are games the Suns should win to establish themselves. hierarchy in the West.
Minnesota was the trending pick to make the finals after its surprise run to the West finals last year, fueled by the Timberwolves’ first-round upset of Durant’s Suns, but they’re under .500 after losing to Houston — and out of the Play-Ins right now.
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Dallas, even before Luka Dončić’s wrist injury cost him time, was struggling to find consistency. The Los Angeles Clippers, with no sign of Kawhi Leonard being anywhere near the practice field, have a top-six pick. And second and third place went to Golden State and Houston – a development that no one would have predicted a month ago.
Oklahoma City, like last year, sits atop the conference, but has yet to make a long playoff run. The Thunder still have youth on their side, while teams like the Suns need near-perfect conditions to get through the treacherous West.
But let’s assume Durant is as healthy as he was last season, when he played 75 games and exposed the full injury-prone label he’s carried since injuring his Achilles during the 2019 NBA Finals.
At age 36, let’s assume he maintains the same level of performance and effectiveness as the other two graybeards the collective public is giving a well-deserved grace, LeBron James and Stephen Curry.
Then there’s no reason to easily fire Durant or his team after the season. Who knows if that 10-game sample size is just a matter of fresh legs to start the season, not fatigue that has to set in, but it seems like a reasonable bet to believe that Durant will shoot close to 55 percent, 44 percent. from 3-point range, 27 points, six rebounds and three assists.
That’s in line with Durant’s production of 28.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists over a 53/41/89 split, and those aren’t his career numbers — those are his post-Achilles numbers, when he didn’t play again until . his 31st birthday.
We’ve gotten used to talking to Durant about other things — his alleged unhappiness, his habit of leaving franchises, his leadership, his health. The bottom line is that he was just as reliable a performer when he was on the court no matter where he was.
The conversation surrounding Durant has been completely unfair and reasonable, but it rarely focuses on his game. It is usually unassailable.
And these Suns aren’t a complete roster, relying heavily on the decision-making and dirty work of Jusuf Nurkić and Mason Plumlee as backups to get them through. That doesn’t always inspire much confidence if someone is picking them to improve on last year’s 49-win season.
However, this appears to be the most complete roster Durant has played on since leaving the Bay Area. That Brooklyn Nets team that looked like world-beaters in 2021 until Kyrie Irving and James Harden were injured in the second round against the Milwaukee Bucks, leaving Durant alone to carry an undermanned roster? They would just overwhelm you with talent and explosiveness, and we saw what happened when they lost their fastball.
This Suns team isn’t as explosive, far from it, but with Durant settling in, he takes some pressure off Devin Booker, who had to carry the offense in Durant’s absence and saw his effectiveness decline with the added attention.
Both are at their best when the ball goes to them instead of five eyes on the defense, and having Mike Budenholzer as the head coach and Tyus Jones as the table guard puts a strain on them.
Durant is at his best when the game is easy, because he makes the game look easier than anyone else in the league — still, at his advanced age.
Budenholzer realizes up to this point that Durant doesn’t need the most complicated actions, just enough moves to dribble and pull up, or catch and shoot. And Budenholzer forced all three shooters to hit more 3s to match the time of today’s game. Last year, the Suns were 25th in attempts despite being fifth in efficiency. This year, even with Durant’s absence, they are sixth in attempts and are sure to grow as their big three play more together. Tuesday night was the Suns’ 99th regular season game since Beal was traded to bring the three together, and the 49th time they’ve been on the floor at the same time.
It may be a mistake to believe in the Suns, but with the absence of a Celtics-like team in the conference, it’s safe to believe that with a healthy Durant, they have as good a chance as anyone to make the playoffs.